Father and Daughter
by HeartOfChaos
Summary: One-shot showing moments of Harry and his daughter Lily's relationship from her birth to her wedding day. Rated T for language.


_I don't own Harry Potter._

It was no secret to Ginny that Harry wanted a daughter. Yes, he loved James and Albus dearly, and wouldn't complain about another son, but deep down, she could tell he wanted a little girl of his own. So when Ginny had another child and found it was a little peach-fuzz-crowned girl, Ginny wasn't surprised by Harry's subtle increase in bragging to co-workers. She had nearly hexed her brother Ron into oblivion when he had taken Harry aside and said, "Well mate, you've had a good run. Been a great dad to my nephews, you have. I hate to break this to you, but your downfall is wrapped in the fuzzy pink blanket over there; she'll have you wrapped around her little finger in no time. Happens to the best of us, mate; look at me and Rosie."

The moment that Harry held the little pink bundle in his arms for the first time, Ginny saw what her brother had meant. The smile on Harry's face was different from any other smile she had seen on his face. He looked up at Ginny and opened his mouth, but Ginny, knowing what he was about to say, cut him off.

"I think Lily is a wonderful name, don't you dear?"

Harry closed his mouth and nodded.

The fireplace of the Potter home was filled with green flames as the patriarch of the house walked through the fireplace. He dusted the soot off of his robes and hung his cloak on the rack by the mantle. It had been a long, trying day at the Auror office; one full of multiple incidents spanning the countryside, complete with at least six arrests and the finding and lengthy and draining capture of an old Death Eater in Edinburgh.

Before Harry had been home for two minutes he heard the tell-tale sounds of a small pair of feet thundering down the stairs accompanied by the high-pitched chanting of "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" Harry braced himself just in time for his four-year-old daughter to attack his legs in a hug. Harry smiled and lifted up his little angel in the air, threw her up in the air a few feet and caught her, receiving squeals and giggles of delight from the small redhead.

"And how is my little girl?" Harry said, his face feeling like it was going to break from all the smiling. No matter how bad of a day at work he had had, one moment with his daughter would change his mood…remind him that this is what he fought for ten years ago…

Lily's smile faded to a frown. "James and Albus won't let me play with them. It's not fair Daddy! Make them be nice!"

Harry chuckled. "Ah now, that isn't very nice. I'll have a talk with them at dinner about letting you play with them, how's that?"

Lily's smile was back again, shining like a beacon. She wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and hugged him.

"I love you Daddy!"

"I love you too."

Five-year-old Lily woke up in the middle of a mild September night screaming like a banshee. It didn't even take two seconds for Harry to run into her room in his pajamas, glasses askew, and hair more unkempt now than in the daylight hours. Ginny was right behind him.

"Lily love what's wrong?" Harry asked, face white with fear. Ginny knew where that scream had taken her husband back to, though she would never tell him for.

Lily was crying as Harry bent down and took her up in his embrace before standing up again. "I had a nightmare," she sobbed, burying her face in her father's shoulder.

"What was it about love?" he asked. James and Albus were standing in the doorway, staring into the room, wondering what had happened.

"It was you…and Mummy…and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione and…" as she listed the names of almost all the adult members of her extended family, Ginny bent down on one knee in front of the boys to calm them down.

"…and Granddad and Gran Weasley were all fighting these people in dark cloaks, and then there was this one very bad one with a flat white face and glowing eyes and he…he shot a green light at you through his wand you…you died. Daddy you DIED! And then the bad man came after everyone else and killed them too!" and a fresh wave of sobs overcame the little girl. Harry wondered who had told Lily about Voldemort right before bedtime. He hugged his daughter close and rubbed small circles on her back, whispering calm words to her. "Hush Lily love, it's alright…it was just a bad dream…Mummy and I are here, aren't we? No bad wizard is coming after me or your Mum…it's okay, I'm here…"

It took an hour and a half to get all three Potter children back to bed. the older two were a bit shaken from hearing such a blood-curdling scream come out of their baby sister's mouth. After making sure Lily was in no danger and was, in fact, alright, each brother gave her a hug and a promised to play whatever game she wanted to in the morning. Then they went back to their rooms to go back to sleep, fully aware they were going to regret their promise in the morning when she made them dress up and have a grand old tea party with her stuffed toys.

Harry held his daughter close as the sobs turned into sniffles and the occasional hiccup. Ginny stood near, running her fingers through Lily's hair.

"Daddy?"

"Yes Lily?"

"You're not allowed to die. Ever."

Harry chuckled. "I'll see what I can do. Feeling better?"

"Yeah, a little."

"Good."

"Can I come sleep with you? Please?" Lily asked, looking at both of her parents with shining eyes. Not a word was exchanged between the parents. Ginny led the way back to the master bedroom, Harry carrying Lily behind her. When all three had settled into bed, Lily smiled and hugged her daddy.

"My hero."

Harry and Ginny waved at Lily as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of Platform 9 ¾. She waved back, her excitement radiating from her like heat from the sun. Harry kept waving until the train disappeared, after which his hand fell limply at his side.

"She'll be alright," Ginny said as she took one of Harry's hands. "She's got two big brothers to look after her, along with Hagrid and Neville. She'll be fine," she restated.

Harry could not believe this was happening. This was beyond his wildest imagination; his baby girl, his little Lily, was getting _married_ today_._

_To fucking Scorpius Malfoy._

Harry had tried burying his prejudices against the family after the war, when all was said and done. He'd been as polite to Draco as he could, considering their extensive history of the opposite. But when James and Albus had informed their father that, while at Hogwarts, Scorpius, who was seventeen at the time, had dated almost every girl in the school and was now dating his Lily, who was barely fifteen, Harry couldn't quite bury the hatchet as easily.

He had had to give the boy credit, though, when he had visited the summer after he had graduated. He and Scorpius had sat down and talked; mostly Harry listened while Scorpius had, in a way, pleaded his case.

"Mr. Potter, sir, I know James and Al have told you about my old…habits…while at school."

"You mean your reputation as a heartbreaker amongst the female population? Yes, my sons did mention that."

"I've changed, sir. I didn't realize how hurtful my actions were until…well…until your daughter forced me to look at the damage I had done, to put it mildly. I only started to get to know her this year, when we played against each other in Quidditch."

"Yes…I guess I should thank you for catching her when one of your Beaters hit a Bludger at her that knocked her off her broom…at sixty feet up…she would've been seriously injured…you were Slytherin's Quidditch Captain weren't you?"

"Yeah. I held tryouts for a new Beater after that match…contrary to what you might believe, sir, I believe in fair play. I never told my Beaters to aim to majorly harm anyone."

Harry nodded. "What does your father think of you dating my daughter?"

Scorpius smirked. "He's about as thrilled as you are."

There was an awkward silence for a moment when Scorpius spoke again. "Mr. Potter. My relationship with your daughter is…_nothing_…like what I've had with anyone else. If you don't believe me, grab a bottle of Veritae Serum. I'll drink the whole thing, but it won't change what comes out of my mouth. She is the most…words can't even express how much I care about her…but I don't want to cause a rift between you two. She loves you a lot and respects you deeply."

After that, the relationship between father and boyfriend had been better; strained, but better than Harry wanting to hex him into oblivion for so much as setting eyes on his little girl. When Scorpius had come to Harry and Ginny to ask for their daughter's hand in marriage two years later, after Lily had graduated, Harry thought he was having a stroke. He reluctantly agreed and gave him his blessing; he supposed Scorpius had proved himself to be a good person.

But still…_his daughter was getting married to fucking Scorpius Malfoy._

He sighed as Ginny popped her head in the doorway of Ron's old room at the Burrow, where Harry had spent the last hour preparing for this wedding.

"Harry it's time."

Harry looked up at her and sighed as he got up and followed her into the sitting room. Amongst a mob of Weasley cousins clad in light yellow bridesmaid dresses stood the woman of the hour; Lily was wearing her mother's wedding dress. Harry's eyes turned misty as he thought back to his wedding day. Lily looked exactly like Ginny in this dress. Harry had to remind himself that this was his daughter standing in front of him. Lily smiled at her father and hugged him.

"Hi Daddy."

Harry swallowed the huge lump in his throat. "You ready, Lily love?" he asked. Now he knew how Arthur felt when he had to give Ginny away…_times ten_, Harry reminded himself. He was pretty sure Arthur liked him considerably more than he liked his soon-to-be son in law.

The processional began. Harry held out his arm, and Lily looped hers in his with a smile as big as Hogwarts. When it came time for the bride and her father to walk out, Lily turned to Harry.

"I love you Dad."

"I love you too, Lily love."

"I know how hard this is for you, but I will always be your little girl."

"I'll destroy him if he hurts you."

Lily swatted her father playfully and smiled. "He won't Daddy. He loves me very much, and I love him. Not to mention he is _terrified_ of you and the rest of the family. But mostly of you."

"He should be."

_The End_


End file.
